Soon, ships sailing through the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick will get to their destinations a little bit slower. That’s because of a federal regulation to protect the endangered right whale. Officials are now enforcing a speed limit for ships, designed to protect the whales during their winter birthing season.

Jasper County officials are threatening to take over the Jasper Ocean Terminal project. They complain that the effort, overseen jointly by Georgia and South Carolina, is mired in never-ending studies. South Carolina officials say progress is being made.

Georgia's seaport in coastal Brunswick has moved its first shipment of American-made Toyota vehicles being exported overseas. The Georgia Ports Authority says a cargo ship loaded with Toyota Venzas set sail Thursday from Brunswick for markets in Russia and the Ukraine.

Two new refrigerated warehouses are promising to lower shipping costs for Georgia poultry exporters. The Port of Savannah in a few months will welcome two new cold storage facilities locating nearby. The freezers are important for Georgia's $13 billion poultry industry.

Georgia's business and political leaders eagerly awaited this week's final report on Savannah harbor deepening. But while it's the US Army Corps of Engineers' last word on the project, it's not the last word in the public debate over whether the deepening should happen. The agency next week will open a comment period.

Some of Georgia's largest companies are lobbying state and federal officials to raise weight limits on highways in the states, a move they say will help the economy and the environment. State officials worry about safety and maintenance issues if heavier trucks are allowed on Georgia roads. Morris News Service reports that a coalition of major shippers, including Coca-Cola, Georgia-Pacific and International Paper, wants the weight limits raised.